Audio platform Pocket FM elevates Lalit Gangwar as COO
Pocket FM is a Bengaluru-based audio entertainment platform offering series and stories, and has elevated Lalit Gangwar to chief operating officer to lead its global audio business across markets, growth, monetisation, and execution.
Audio series platform Pocket FM has elevated Lalit Gangwar to chief operating officer, where he will oversee its global audio business, managing markets, growth, monetisation, and execution.
The move aims to strengthen the company’s operating structure and support predictable, long-term growth at scale, particularly in overseas markets such as the US, while continuing to invest in AI-led storytelling and monetisation strategies.
The leadership reshuffle comes alongside broader changes at the parent level, with Pocket Entertainment recently elevating Umesh Bude to Chief Technology Officer.
Founded in 2018 by Rohan Nayak, Dana Ram Meghwal, Prateek Dixit, and Nishanth Srinivasagowda, Pocket FM is a Bengaluru-based audio entertainment platform offering series, stories, and related content. The company has raised $197 million in funding from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Tencent.
Lalit is a founding member who built Pocket FM’s India growth playbook, helping scale the platform to 150 million users within its first year, and later led its US expansion by setting up teams and driving growth.
Pocket FM claims over 250 million listeners globally and operates a large creator ecosystem with more than 300,000 writers and over 100,000 audio series, while continuing to expand content formats and invest in AI-driven storytelling tools.
On the financial front, the company reported a 68% year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 1,768 crore in FY25 and recently crossed an ARR of Rs 4,167 crore with EBITDA profitability. Meanwhile, rival Kuku FM reported nearly threefold revenue growth to Rs 242 crore in FY25, though its losses rose by 60% to Rs 153 crore.
Pocket FM operates in a competitive landscape with players such as Himalaya and Ximalaya, among others, with hundreds of active competitors globally.